Rotary steam engine



March 7, 1933. zl-r 4 1,900,784

ROTARY STEAM ENGI NE Filed Jan. v1o, 1951 5 Sheets-sheet 1 M N k D l h il R N @1 N w h f N Q 2 k \N N 8 v v l 01 h I @mi Q: n\ n N il 31 'm We N N 'sa vx N il N

s L., N

lNvE-Nrn l ATTORNEY):l

Malrch 7, 1933. Z|NT Y 1,900,784

ROTARY STEAM ENG I NE v Filedl Jan. lO, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 G. ZlNT ROTARY STEAM ENGINE March 7, 1933.

Filed Jan. 10, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheetl ."5

'eo f'ge BY W Patented Mar. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE GEORGE zINT, or wArAxoNE'rA, omo

v EoTAEY STEAM ENGINE Application med January 1o, 1931. seriai Nu. 507,941.

This invention relates to improvements in lowing description and accompanying drawrotary engines especially adapted for the ings, in which employment of fluid power as a propelling Figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating a medium and has for the primary object, the rotary engine constructed in accordance provision of means for delivering the fluid with my invention. 1 55 pressure to the chamber of the .engine Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the through the power take-off shaft and rotor line 2--2 of Figure 1. carried thereby to reduce thev number Vof Figure 3 is a plan view illustratingr the moving parts to a minimum andl provide an power take-off shaft vand the rotor carriedeven development of power at a lowcost of thereby. 60 maintenance. f Figure 4 is an end view illustrating the Another object of this invention is the same. provision of a plurality of abutments` di- Figure 5 is a sectional view taken. on the. riding the chamber into several compartline 5 5 of Figure 1 illustrating the mountments in which the fluid pressure may be ing of one of the abutments. trapped for a predetermined length of time Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating for providing a number Vof power impulses one of the abutments. to the rotor duringeach complete revolution v Referring in detail to the drawings, the thereof. numerals 1 and 2 illustrate vertical stand- Another object of this invention is the ards carrying at their upper ends bearings 70 `provision of a novel mounting for the alout-` 3 and 4, respectively, which rotatably supments that they may yield to permit the pasport a power take-off shaft 5 carrying at sage of the rotor from one compartmentto 011e end a fly wheel 6. another and the latter to exhaust the preceed- A base 7 is located between the standards ing compartment to the compartment in the l and 2 and supports a circular casing 8 hav- 75 act 0f driving the rotor. ing removable side walls 9 detachably se- A further object of this invention is the Cured to the casing by stud bolts or like fasprovision of a novel rotor head to actuate the teners 10. The side walls of the casing are abutments which cooperate therewith in provided with suitable journals 11 and loforming the Several compartments and cated centrally of the casing and rotatably vil@ which is so designed that thevfluid pressure receive the shaft 5. The bearings 11 as beis properly delivered to and exhausted from fore stated may be of any desired type and the compartmentsv during the operation of are provided with stufling boxes 12 to esthe engine and obviates the employment of tablish leak-proof connection between the valves and the like now customarily emcasing 8 and the shaft. i

loyed in'rotary engines. *l l n The casing 8 is provided with an annular A still further object of this invention is chamber' 13 in which operates a rotor 14 the provision ofa rotary-engine of the above keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft 5. stated character which will be simple, .dur- The shaft 5 has formed therein intake and able and efficient and which may be manuexhaust passages 15 and 16 and by refer- 90 fagtured and Sold ata. comparatively 10W 91106130 Figure 2 it Will be noted that tlle cost, passages extend in opposite directions and With these and other objects in' view as the exhaust passage 16 extends through one will become more apparent as the descrip-` end of the shaft 5 and the intake passage tion proceeds the invention consists `in cer-y communicates with a lateral branch 18 95 tain novel features of construction,- combinawhich is in continuous communication with tion and arrangement of parts to be herea chamber 19 formed in the bearing 4 and inafter more fully described and claimed.v to which is connected a fluid pressure supgg For a complete understanding of myinply pipe 2O adapted to supply a continuous vention, reference is to be had to the folpressure to the intake passage 15.

rlhe rotor 14 is provided with an intake passage 21 of substantial L-shape having one leg thereof in connnunication with the intake passage 15 of the shaft 5 while the other leg opens outwardly through one side of the rotor as clearly shown in Figure 1. A similar shaped exhaust passage 22 is formed in the rotor and one leg thereof communicates with the exhaust passage 16 of the shaft 5 while the other leg opens outwardly through one side of the rotor 14 substantially the full length thereof as clearly shown in Figure 1.

The casing 8 has formed thereon radially extending projections 23 provided with bores 24 communicating with the chamber 13 at one of their ends and their opposite ends extending through the outer ends of the projections and closed by removable plugs 25. The bores 24 open outwardly through the side faces 24 of the projections 23 and are closed by radially extending extensions 23 formed on the side plates 9. Grooves 28 are formed in the side plates 9 and the extensions thereof. These grooves communicate with the chamber 13 and also with the bores of the projections 23 to slidably receive abutments 27, the inner ends of which engage the periphery of the rotor while their opposite ends engage plunger-s 29 within the bores. Coiled springs 30 engage the plungers for urging the abut-ments inwardly against the rotor. During the rotation of the rotor, the abutments are moved inwardly and outwardly within the grooves 28. The inner ends of the abutments, when the latter are forced outwardly, may pass outwardly beyond the wall of the chamber 13 so that the rotor may pass said abutments during its rotation. Grooves 32 are formed in the walls 9 of the casing 8 and are located adjacent the grooves 28. The grooves 32 communicate with the chamber 13 and its outer ends terminate within the projections 23 forming shoulders 26. Stops 31 are carried by the inner ends of the abutments and slide within the grooves 32 and when the abutments are in their outermost position. said stops 31 are adapted to abut the shoulders 26 limiting the outward movement of the abutments. The springsl 39 are interposed between the plungers 29 and the removable plugs 25.

The rotor 14 is of elongated formation and secured to the shaft adjacent one end to provide a laterally extending head portion having` an arcuate face 33 adapted for contact with the annular wall of the chamber 13 and is recessed to receive a wear plate 34 having an outer arcuate face urgediinto engagement with the annular' wall of the chamber 13 by springs 35 seated in sockets 36. The wear plate establishes a leak-proof Connection between the rotor and the annular wall of the chamber and has one end notched to receive an extension 37 formed on a wear plate 38 yieldably supported within a groove formed in one side of the rotor and which normally contacts with one of the side walls 9. The wear plate 38 is supported by springs 39 urging said wear plate in contact with its respective side wall 9 and the opposite face of the rotor in engagement with the other side plate 9, thus it will be seen that the wear plates 34 and 38 establish a leak-proof connection between the walls of the chamber 13 and the rotor.

The inner end of the wear plate 38 is arcuately curved to engage the shaft 5 and the rotor is further provided on the same side face with yieldably supported wear plates 40 which have their inner ends arcuately curved to engage the shaft 5.

The rotor 14 is provided with a comparatively straight working face 41 through which the intake passage 21 extends and by reference to Figure 1 it will be seen that the intake passage 21 flares for the purpose of directing the fluid pressure toward one of the abutments which may be adjacent thereto that. the pressure against said abutment, walls of the casing and working face 41 of the rotor will cause a movement of the latter in a clockwise direction toward the next abutment, and the opposite side of the rotor from the working face 41 is curved to provide a cam face 42 which engages the inner end of the next abutment urging the latter outwardly that the rotor may pass said abutment and on passing the respective abutment, the latter again mov-es inwardly to be engaged by the fluid pressure escaping from the inlet passage 21 which operation continues throughout the revolutions of the rotor thereby providing several power impulses to the rotor during each revolution thereof. While I have shown the employment of three abutments it is to be understood that the number of abutments may be varied and suited in the manufacture of the device. By reference to Figure 1 it will be noted that the abutments cooperate with the rotor in forming a plurality of compartments and that the exhaust passage 22 is so located that the preceding compartment to the compartment in which the fluid pressure is acting upon the rotor will be exhausted to the atmosphere through the exhaust passage 16 in the shaft 5.

It is to be understood that the pipe 2O may be connected to any suitable fluid pressure source and provided with a control valve (not shown) for controlling the operation of the engine.

The fluid pressure may be in the form of steam, compressed air or the like.

The bearings 3 and 4 if desired may be in the form of roller or ball bearings of a conventional type and the bearing 4 in which the chamber 18 is formed is provided at each end with stuiing boxes 43 to establish a leak-proof connection with the shaft 5.

The employment of the removable plugs 25 in the bores 24 of the extensions 23 permits the tension of the springs 30 to be varied and also will permit the removal of the springs and the plungers 29 when desired.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood that minor changes in construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: n

A rotary engine comprising a power shaft having intake and exhaust passages, means connecting the intake passage with a fluid power source, a casing rigidly mounted and receiving the shaft and having a chamber, a rotor secured to the shaft for contact with the walls of the chamber and having intake and exhaust passages, extensions on said casing and having bores communicative with the chamber, said casing having slots in the Walls of the chamber thereof, abutments slidably mounted in the slots of the casing and contacting with the rotor at their inner 30 ends and having their outer ends in alignment withV the bores, adjustable tension means in the bores and engaging the outer ends of the abutments, said casing having guide grooves with their outer ends terminatin outwardly of the walls of said chamber an within the extensions toprovidel shoulders, sto s on the inner ends of said abutments an slidable in the grooves and engageable with the shoulders to limit the outward movement of said abutments, said abutments cooperating with the rotor of the casing to provide a plurality of compartments' in the chamber so that the second named intake passage is always in communication with a compartment and the second named exhaust passage is always in communication with another compartment. v

In testimony whereof I ax my signature.

f GEORGE ZINT. 

